Quote:
Although Vernon Adams, a rookie at the time, completed the season with three successive victories after replacing Rakeem Cato, he knows last Friday’s acquisition of veteran Darian Durant in a trade from Saskatchewan, in all likelihood, will relegate him back to the bench. ....
“I don’t believe it’ll be an open competition,” Adams told the Montreal Gazette in a telephone interview from his winter home in Boulder, Colo. “I heard he asked for $350,000 and Saskatchewan offered $300,000. Obviously Montreal’s going to give him that $350,000.
“Nobody’s coming in to get paid $350,000 and not going to play. Therefore, I already know he’s going to start in Week 1. No matter how good I do — unless he gets hurt. He’s a vet and the No. 1 guy, but this is professional football. I’m not going to let him just come in.
“I’m going to try to be the starter, but I know it most likely will be him. I’m going to work hard and push him.” ...
Adams did admit he was told by Reed that Durant would be the Als’ starter, although Reed quickly advised Adams he’s the quarterback of the future, considering Montreal traded a 2017 first-round draft choice to British Columbia for his rights. ...
“I’m going to make sure I’m behind him, I’m learning from him and have his back. But I’m still going to fight for that starting job.”
Adams has two years remaining on his contract — and it certainly behooves Reed and the Als to sign Durant for at least two seasons, if not longer. How that might potentially impact Adams moving forward remains to be determined, although it’s unlikely he’ll want to re-sign with Montreal if he’s relegated to the bench for extended periods or seasons.
“I’d probably ask for a trade. I’d probably want to get out of there,” Adams said. “I don’t know. It’s a tough situation.”
While Adams posted impressive collegiate numbers at both Eastern Washington and Oregon, he was unable to stick with both the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins before coming north. At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Adams isn’t the prototypical NFL quarterback. But his mobility and leadership qualities make him ideally suited for Canadian football.
“So many people don’t believe in me because of my height, because of the way I play quarterback,” he said. “But I know I can get it done. Once I get my real shot, my real opportunity as a starter, I promise you it’s over from there. I won’t give up the starting spot.”